Slither

Space slugs infest a small town in this splatterific laugh fest.

by Chris Carle

March 29, 2006

These days, it's almost ridiculous to categorize something as a "B-movie," as many things fitting that description make it to the theater, do well, spawn sequels and become franchises. What's a better indicator is whether a movie is entertaining or not, and whether it will appeal to its target audience.

While it may be tough to nail down exactly what the target audience for a movie like Slither is (although if you liked Critters, Army of Darkness or Slugs, consider yourself the prime demographic), one thing is certain: it's entertaining on a whole lot of levels. It succeeds in being funny, startling, disgusting, and even a little touching. Oh yeah, and did we mention the fact that a woman swells up to the size of a small delivery truck?

What makes Slither great is that it does not take itself, or anything, all that seriously. After all, it's a movie about space slugs taking over a small town. It does an excellent job of establishing its tongue firmly in its cheek before one has too much time to think about the horrible atrocities happening onscreen.

Michael Rooker stars as Grant Grant, a domineering husband whose wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks), who obviously married for convenience and stability, is beginning to pull away from him, rejecting his sexual advances. After one particularly harsh shutdown, Grant goes to a local bar and picks up a floozie. The two head to the forest and are about to consummate their illicit lust when Grant has a change of heart. Just as he withdraws to return to his wife, he is struck by a projectile from a mysterious life form. Thus begins the infection that defines the movie.

From this point on, Grant begins one of the more revolting transformations in movie history, changing from a mild-mannered husband to a large, pustule-laden slug who looks a lot like Spaceballs' Pizza the Hutt. The creature that he becomes has the same mission as the original man: to get back with his wife.

Of course, it wouldn't be all that slithery if he was the only slug. Thankfully, that isn't the case. After a few of the most disgusting moments in recent memory, including some live action near-hentai sequences, he finds a mate and the slugs have a means to multiply. Once they do, they begin to spread across the town and inhabit anything they come across. What's more, all of the slugs respond to the central host, so literally the entire town is hellbent on getting back together with Starla. Think marital problems mixed with a bad outbreak of the T-Virus, and you have the central struggle in Slither.

Getting in the way of the worm invasion is Bill Pardy (Firefly's Nathan Fillion), the rugged, sarcastic and (dare I say?) dashing chief of police. He leads a rag-tag group of cops and militia, and a few hangers-on into the fray against this new interstellar terror. To complicate matters, Pardy has had a crush on Starla, adding to the growing number of citizens after her charms. Fillion is the perfect actor for this role; a wisecracking, cool as a cucumber hero who gets the job done, but still has time to poke fun at the absurdity of the situation. He comes from the Indiana Jones/Han Solo school of movie good guys, and it's refreshing to see this kind of character unleashed in a horror film.

Much of the humor in Slither revolves around the macabre events and the characters' reactions to them. Death sequences are at once gruesome and hilarious, and of the moment-of-truth dialogue is some of the sharpest comedy written this year. It helps that the cast, from Rooker (who has previous comedy experience from Mallrats, but often plays the heavy) to the chauvinistic, out-for-himself mayor, played admirably by Gregg Henry. Henry manages one of the more deft acting jobs in the movie&#Array;making us care about a slimeball who probably has no right to live.

The film doesn't get all of its laughs from the horror elements. Director James Gunn has a firm grip on small town life, and easily lampoons the quiet community. One of the town's major events, for instance, is "Deer Cheer," a festival revolving around the beginning of gun-deer season. The movie is packed with subtle laughs like this, which can easily get forgotten amidst some of the more bombastic guts and gore.

Speaking of gore, Slither does an excellent job using practical effects. When it does switch to computer-generated images, it's always to do something that isn't possible with makeup, and that is an admirable decision. There is still something more genuine about creature effects done by hand, and the final form of the Grant-slug is a testament to the excellent make-up work done in the film.

When the credits roll on Slither, don't be surprised to be a little sick, frazzled and exhausted. At the same time, don't be surprised to find yourself smiling ear-to-ear. Slither is destined for classic status among the current generation of comedy-horror aficionados. It will instantly appeal to anyone who liked 80s fare like Critters or more recent comedies like Shaun of the Dead. The squeamish will want to stay away, but those looking for a little splatterific diversion, get thee to the cinema!